Thoughts Out of Control

Do you wonder how much longer God is going to put up with the rampant evil in today's world? Has He simply turned His face away from the persecution Christians are going through in so many countries? Does He just not care about the babies being killed while still in their mother's womb? Is He unaware of the spread of pornography, the senseless shootings of ordinary people going about their daily business, the marketplace bombings, the obsession with illicit sex, the unabated drug trafficking? Does God have no concern about evil?

There was once a godly man who, the Bible says, "walked with God" (Genesis 6:9) in the midst of a society that was much like ours. His name was Noah. The description of the people of his day is recorded in Genesis 6:1-13. Here are a few verses from that section:

What Does God Say?

"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart" (Genesis 6:5-6, ESV).

"Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth" (Genesis 6:11-12, ESV).

"And God said to Noah, 'I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth" (Genesis 6:13, ESV)

"Then the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years'" (Genesis 6:3, ESV).

"He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark" (Genesis 7:23 ESV).

Notice these facts from those verses:

• God looked at a whole generation's actions, and He knew its thoughts.
• God made a verdict about humanity's guilt.
• God determined to eliminate the entire society.
• God, in His mercy, gave that generation 120 years to repent.
• God carried out His judgment, exactly as He had warned.

My Thoughts

• Re-read Genesis 6:5-6. What do you see there that shows God is concerned with far more than evil actions?
• In Genesis 6:3, what do you see about God's mercy and patience with sinners?
• Look up Proverbs 15:26. What does it tell you about evil thoughts?
• According to Jesus, what is the source of evil thoughts and evil actions (Mark 7:21-23)?
• What did David tell Solomon about God's understanding of our innermost being (1 Chronicles 28:9)?

My Part

If the evil actions of your generation are all traceable to the wickedness of its hearts and thoughts, what should you be doing as a Christian to make sure you are protected from the ravages of evil thoughts in your own life? Here are some pointers on how to deal with God-dishonoring thoughts:

• Recognize that evil thoughts come out of a heart that is not in tune with God (Mark 7:21-23). Make sure your heart is right with God.
• Believe what the Bible says about God's knowledge of all your thoughts and His judgment of your secrets (Genesis 6:5-6; Romans 3:16).
• Make a conscious effort daily to turn your thought life over to God's control; spend time in the Word (Proverbs 16:20) and prayer.
• Fill your mind with good and positive thoughts (Philippians 4:8).

The Bible says this about a person, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). May your New Year be filled with thoughts that please the Lord and give honor to Him!

Risking Hatred

Here's a possible situation and a dilemma: Let's say you move to a new town and proudly fly the banner of your favorite sports team from your new home. Very quickly, though, you find out your neighbors hate that particular team and are very vocal about it. Wanting to make friends, not enemies, you remove the banner and from then on only cheer your team from the privacy of your own home.

Now, here's the dilemma: What if, instead of a sport's team, it's Jesus in your life that attracts the hatred of your neighbors? Do you practice your faith privately, or do you risk hatred by publicly living a life of faith? What would you do?

What Does the Bible Say

It's an interesting question. Some people say that if neighbors or acquaintances are hostile towards you, they will never allow you to tell them about God's grace and salvation. Therefore, if we are to witness to as many as possible, we should downplay our relationship with Jesus, for now, with the hope that in the future they will be less hostile and more receptive to hearing about Jesus.

On the other hand, if your relationship with Christ isn't evident in your interactions with your neighbors, are you really witnessing at all? Isn't it kind of like rejecting one relationship to embrace another?

Let's go to the Bible to find the answer.

When Jesus taught His disciples (and us when we read His Word), He told them plainly, "You will be hated by all for my name's sake" (Matthew 10:22, ESV). Over and over again, throughout the Gospels, Jesus takes it as a given that people will hate Him--and, by extension, those who follow Him. "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19, ESV).

• Who was Jesus speaking to when He said these things about hatred?
• Jesus said that Christians would be hated. What reason did He give for the world's hatred toward His followers?
• What would cause the world to love you?

Did Jesus fail because people chose to hate Him instead of love Him? Of course not. And you aren't failing either when your neighbors hate you for living your Christian faith.

My Thoughts

As long as there is sin in the world, there will be hate in the world. Jesus explained that the world, "hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil" (John 7:7, ESV). In a sense, you and I who pursue a relationship with Christ act like lighting rods. Because the purity of Jesus exposes the sins of the world and because we seek to become Christ-like, we will attract the hatred of those who live in darkness (See John 3:20).

My Part

While we can't control the way other people will respond to us, we can control how we will respond to them. Jesus had a lot to say about how we should respond to those who hate us. Take a few moments with a concordance or an online Bible search engine and find some of those things Jesus taught. Now that you've been able to see what the Bible says about this issue, how would you advise a friend in the dilemma described above? How would you yourself act?

What Does God Say?

My Thoughts

My Part